MINIT
http://www.minitgame.com
You have a minute to do what
you’re going to do, and then the world
resets. There are dungeons,
monsters, and chatty NPCs—all
you’d expect from an adventure—but
you can only really focus on one thing
at a time. Your life depends on you
being economical with your time, so
you’ve got to be incredibly precis-FLASHRIMWORLD
http://www.rimworldgame.com
The colonists devoured their pets,
but the ground was still frozen and
their bellies were still empty. A timely
raid saved the day. The colonists
stood their ground and defeated the
bandits. They celebrated with bandit
meat. Rimworld is a colony sim and
brilliant storyteller, but most of the
stories it tells are very, very grim.STRANDEDCRUSADER KINGS II
http://www.bit.ly/crusader_kings2
CKII has grown into an enormous
grand strategy RPG, and it looks like
it still has some tricks left. With its
latest expansion, Holy Fury, you can
finally rule an animal kingdom. Lead
an empire of ducks, assassinate your
dragon-husband, win a war against
an egg—it’s like Game of Thrones by
way of Redwall.ANIMAL FARMASTRONEER
http://www.astroneer.space
Astroneer is technically a survival
game, but it’s easy to forget that,
given its laid-back approach. It
doesn’t go out of its way to kill
players, and while oxygen and power
are needed to survive, scarcity isn’t a
problem. This leaves its astronauts
plenty of time to build, explore, and
play around with custom vehicles.SPACE HOLIDAYUNAVOWED
http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/games/unavowed/
Wadjet Eye’s urban fantasy
adventure game is at times evocative
of traditional point-and-clicks, but it’s
got BioWare-style companions,
meaningful consequences and
satisfying puzzles. It’s also blessed
with a cracking story full of very
human characters, even when
they’re ancient demons.MAGICSUNLESS SEA
http://www.failbettergames.com/sunless
This plonks you in this gloomy
sandbox with a ship, and from there
you just have to try and lead your
best life. That means feeding your
crew, staving off insanity, and
exploring islands where you could
encounter any number of oddities,
including a war between talking
guinea pigs and rats.TACOMA
https://www.tacoma.game
Walk around a deserted station
and watch recordings of the people
who used to live there—it doesn’t
sound all that gripping, but it’s a
brilliant, intimate space soap. You’re
there to grab the station’s AI and get
out, but that objective plays second
fiddle to immersing yourself in the
lives of the fascinating crew.I SPYBATTLETECH
http://www.battletechgame.com
Watching a mech launch itself, axe
at the ready, onto an enemy is one of
the most satisfying things my eyes
have seen. Despite its serious civil
war campaign and detailed
customization, BattleTech’s really
about big, primal brawls. Mechs
headbutting each other, stomping on
tanks, roasting pilots—it’s brutal.SMASHINGMUST
PLAY
A PERSONAL LIST
OF THE BEST
GAMES YOU CAN
PLAY RIGHT NOW
by Fraser BrownDEAD SEANOW PLAYING (^) I UPDATE I REINSTALL I WHY I LOVE I MUST PLAY
EXTRA LIFE
FRASER
BROWN
Playing these in the
correct order reveals
a single mystery of
the universe. And a
Steam achievement.